Twin Skies
by TAKWhiteWolf
Summary: Pirates and marines roam the Grand Line, where the weather changes at the drop of a hat/ Giant serpents below the waves and fruit that grant unknown power upon eating. These are the few things Jack T. Skies finds himself facing after waking up in a new world. At least he has a reliable captain... If only.


Opening the door to my room I promptly crashed onto my bed. "That was so exhausting. Good I can't wait to finish college, and get a good job." I thought out loud as I flipped over towards the wall, and turned on the TV. Background noise was the fastest way to help me sleep. My eyes closed, and I slowly drifted away. Hopefully, my dreams will be colorful this time.

"Hey, are you ok? You fell quite a ways man." Said an unfamiliar voice that slowly woke me. I turned away from it as my face felt something soft, and warm. It felt like I had been bundled in saran wrap then thrown in the oven. My eyes shoot open to a blinding light as I stood to my feet. My heart was pounding, and my breathing uneven as my eyes slowly adjusted.

I was standing on a beach covered in blinding white sand. The whooshing of the waves clear as could be, and the smell of salt water heavy in the air. "Looks like your gonna be just fine." Stated the unfamiliar voice as a hand patted my back. I jumped forward letting out a screech as I fell on my face. Looking back, I saw a strangely dressed man laughing at me. "Calm down now; i'm not going to hurt you." He said, but I had already started to back away.

He stepped towards me, and offered his hand out to me. "Calm down man, and quit freaking out. It's stressful." He said as my back hit a palm tree. "What's your name?" He asked as I slowly stood to my feet. Every part of me was screaming to run, but I felt like I needed an explanation. "Jack T. Skies," I said trying to calm myself down. "You?" I asked, leaning on my heels in case I need to turn tail.

"It's Alex D. Hemingway, nice to meet ya Jack." He said, taking an apple from his pocket, and tossing it to me. "Eat it, and you'll feel better." He stated, looking out into the ocean. My gaze followed his, and I was soon watching a fierce battle unfollowed. Two ships were firing back, and forth at each other. A thick mist soon started to cover both; only leaving the bright flashes of cannon fire to be seen. "What the hell…" I said, taken a look back at Alex.

"Guessing ya never seen a ship battle like this?" He asked with a somber look in his eyes. Thought it quickly faded with a shake of his head and a wide smile. "Anyway, I'm sure you have questions. Go ahead and ask away." He said, glancing over at the battle every now and then. I wasn't sure what to ask, not even the obvious question.

"Just… give me a moment." I said, trying to collect my thoughts. He gave me a nod and waited patiently. Alright, so I woke up on a strange beach which clearly wasn't my home. Some random guy is talking to me while a deadly fight is going on in the background. Welp, let's ask the most important question first. "Where am I?"

Alex nodded his head slowly, and looked me up and down. "One of the twin islands called Tropica. Its located at the start of Paradise." He said, pointing off into the distance at another island. "That ones called Junline, its the twin. This one has more of a tropical feel, while its twin is more of a jungle." He stated, looking back at me with a smirk.

"With the way you're dressed, and that accent of yours… I'm assuming you're a long way from home." He said as a giant explosion went off in the distance. A cannonball must have hit something explosive because one of the ships just got obliterated. I flinched and fell on my ass as a piece of wood flew at top speed towards me, penetrating the ground in between my legs. Alex looked to me with amusement as I passed out. "Yeah… A long way from home, and a cowa-" He said as I started to trail off into the void.

I don't know how long I had been asleep for when I woke up. Though I noticed I wasn't on a beach anymore. I was in a bed in a room, but it wasn't mine. The Walls were circular and made of wood. The ceiling made of some kind of straw along with the window, no glass. Very different from my square house made of brick.

Slowly I leaned up, and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I was hesitant to stand because my mind was reeling with vertigo. With a deep breath, I rose to my feet. My legs wet noodles as I tried to gain my balance. After a moment the vertigo passed, and my balance regained.

Slowly I made my way to the door, and opened it up. To my surprise, it lead to a boardwalk full of bustling people. It stretched out into the crystal clear ocean for what seemed like miles. Off to the sides were bungalows that were attached, but held up by support beams underneath. The sound of exotic animals could be heard coming from the forest at the East end. I must have looked like an idiot to those who passed me. I was standing still with my mouth wide open.

After letting the novelty pass, I decide to follow the sound of cheering. It was the type of cheering you would hear at a bar, and with any luck, it would be. I seriously need a drink after today. Though as I moved further towards the sounds I realized it was not in fact a bar, but rather some kind of festival. The people around me were dressed in vibrantly colored cloth, and many wore a mask that resembled that of a lizard. Most importantly was the strong scent of seasoned meat in the air. I swear if I bit into the space in front of me, I could taste it.

After a moment of walking, and being entangled in the aw of things around me, I stopped. In front of me was a large wooden plaza built into the boardwalk. A circle of food vendors, and merchants were placed on the outer ring. In the center of the plaza was a stage with many gathered around it. Though it didn't seem to be being used just yet. On each side of the stage were instruments like drums, chimes, and some kind of primitive string instrument. Torches where spaced out evenly to provide a soft, warm light as the sunset.

None of that mattered to me, however. I was too busy deciding what to eat, and there were so many options. My mouth had been watering from the scent of meat for a while, and my stomach was howling for nourishment. Stumbling towards the nearest food booth, I realized something important… I had no money. With a panic look on my face, and butterflies in my stomach. I rummaged through my pockets for anything, and started pulling things out one at a time.

"Small notebook, pen, and my phone… MY PHONE!"I screamed a little louder than I should have. I could tell from all the people that turned to me confused as my face turned red from embarrassment. I shoved everything but my phone back into my pockets, seeing if it would turn on. Unfortunately for me it just held a black screen. "Great." I mumbled to myself as I looked around, and put it away.

Way off in the back of the plaza was a booth I hadn't noticed before. A rugged looking man sat behind a table, and no one seemed interested in him. Hanging from the front of the table was a brightly colored postered that read, step up and win a prize: free. It was free, but no one was even interested. 'Might just be a cultural thing.' I thought as I moved towards the booth. Hopefully money or food was the prize. Then I could satisfy this insatiable hunger.

As I stood in front of the booth, I realized there were things on the table, and that this was definitely a conman. The man looked up at me with a smile, hard to see beneath his rugged beard. "Hi ya, welcome to me ol' booth here. Would ya like to play? No cost at all." He said as he held my gaze firmly, and waved his hands around. I knew cons like this one. The first game was free, and he would let me win. Then he would ask to play again, and let me win one more time. Finally, he would offer a prize, but this time I would have to bet something. That's when he would pull a trick, and I would lose.

Unknown to him I had nothing to bet, so I had nothing to lose. With a sly smile, I looked him back in the eye. "Sure, seems like this could be fun." I said, looking down at the table. Then he gave me a demonstration of how the game worked, nothing new. Just guess which cup held the ball under it and win a prize. The first round was easy, the left cup held the ball. "Now a little faster." He said as he moved the cups around with blinding speed. I was taken off guard by this, and had to guess at random. "The… left cup again." I said unsure of the outcome, but luckily I was right.

"Your a natural at this game!" Said the man as he pulled out a chest, and set it on the. Opening up the top of it revealed quite a few different things. At the bottom set many gold coins, and on top where different jewels. Though what caught my attention was a strange looking fruit that was half buried in the coins. It was circler with a curled stim at the top. The fruit itself was a bright gold with carvings edged into it. Though the strangest thing was that it seemed to pulsate, and vibrate. "Are these the prizes?" I asked, my mouth watering at the thought of being able to eat something.

"This are the prizes if you want to make a bet." He said, taking a hat from behind the booth, and handing it to me. "This here be yer prize. A new straw hat." He said with a smile as he placed it on my head. I had no need for this hat, but I did have a need for food. "What do I need to bet?" I asked taking off the straw hat, and tossing it onto the ground. The man looked at me with what I think was a smirk. "You bet not of yer valuables, but rather a favor." He stated with a slight chuckle.

I just had to do him a favor? For all I knew this favor could be anything, but I was blinded by the thought of a sweet tasty fruit. Just when I was about to open my mouth and agree. A arm wrapped around my shoulder, and a familiar voice spoke to me. "I see your awake! That's great!" Said Alex as he looked at me with a smile. 'Oh god, this guy.' I thought as I returned an awkward smile. He then looked to the man behind the booth, and his eyes became cold. "Bart, what the hell are you doing? You know your not suppose to be doing this while i'm here." Alex stated, I got the vibe that there was about to be a problem, and I really didn't want to be apart of it.

The man called Bart looked at Alex with spiteful look. "Ya have ner a right to tell me wha I can do." He said standing up, and looking into Alex's eyes. His voice was filled with anger and hate. My heart started to pound against my ribs, and my legs began to feel weak. I didn't want to get in, or be in a fight at all. Slowly I started to back away why they were preoccupied.

Though I couldn't really get away will Alex had his arm around me. "I do have a right because I can, and you're just drunken garbage." Alex said, placing his free hand on the table. For some reason this caused Barts face to adopt a panicked expression. After a moment of looking at each other Bart let out a sigh. "Fine." He said as he moved to grab his chest of goodies.

Alex didn't have any intentions of letting him take it though. He moved his hand to his wrist, and grabbed it tightly. "We both know this isn't yours. So leave it for my friend here." He said nodding his head at me, but keeping his eyes trained. Bart looked at me with a face of disgust, and Alex squeezed his wrist tighter. He looked down, his face was rose red like he wanted to speak but couldn't. All he gave was a nod, and Alex let go.

Soon enough Bart was gone, and I myself gave a sigh of relief. My anxiety started to settle down when Alex let me go. "Sorry about that." Said Alex, as he pushed the chest in front of me. "I don't know how he got this, but its all yours now." He stated as he turned around to look at the festival. I glanced back, seeing people start to move onto the stage. "Hurry up, you don't want to miss this. Just leave the chest there, no one will take it." He said as he started walking to the front of the stage.

I grabbed the fruit from the chest, still hungry, and ran after him. We found ourselves a spot towards the back, and waited for it to start. "What are they celebrating?" I asked, moving the fruit to my mouth. "Oh, you wouldn't know would ya? They are celebrating their god, Draza. A giant humanoid lizard if I remember correctly." He said looking at the stage as the instruments began to be played. "That's interesting." I said, putting the fruit to my lips and taking a big bite.

As soon as it hit my tongue I wanted to spit it out. My whole body curled in on itself wanting to reject the fruit. It tasted like I had just put a three-year-old dipper dipped in piss in my mouth. Just as I was about to spit it out Alex hit my back in celebration when dancers filled the stage. 'That prick made me swallow something terrible. I swear to god if I get sick!' I thought as I tried not to throw up.

Alex looked down at me confused before looking back at the stage. I thought about throwing the fruit down on the ground but didn't want to trash such a beautiful place. Shoving it into my pocket I joined everyone in watching the performance.

On the stage where female dancers that wore traditional clothes. The mask were more detailed than others and held an uncanny resemblance to a Komodo dragon. The dancers also wore long scaley skirts, and tops with decorative beads hanging from them. There dance involved swift hip motions and strong footwork. Spinning, jumping, and moving around the stage gracefully. Though it also held a basic primitive feeling that mesmerized me.

Before I knew it the dancers had finished, and started to move off stage. The crowd cheered loudly as another group moved on. This time they were male, dressed in shots made of stones connected like chains. Around their neck was a necklace of feathers and beads. In their hands were torches with brightly lit ends.

They twirled the sticks around, stomping forward and backward in a primitive dance. After passing the torches between each other in a sort of juggle. They held the torches to their mouth a blew out fire that spread out above the crowd. I noticed that one child in the front got startled, and started to cry. The whining was loud, and quite a few others noticed, the mood was killed.

Alex tapped me on the shoulder, and nodded over to a larger bungalow. "Go grab your chest, and let's have a good time." He said with a wide smile, allowing me to assume it was a pub. "Gladly, because we still need to talk. I still don't understand where I am, or how I got here."


End file.
